The Dodgers avoided arbitration with James Loney today, signing him to a one-year deal worth $6.375 million plus performance bonuses, per his agency CAA. Last week I guessed a 2012 salary of $7.25 million for Loney, and now I'm kicking myself for not sticking with my original guess of $6 million. Oh well. Loney gets a 30.8% raise over his $4.875 million 2011 salary.
Loney has performance bonuses of up to $125,000 per Tony Jackson of ESPN LA: $25,000 for 585 plate appearances, and $50,000 each for 625 and 650 plate appearances.
That just leaves Clayton Kershaw, the Minotaur in the room, seemingly ready to challenge arbitration records. We will find out soon what salary figures were filed by both Kershaw and the team, unless the two sides agree to a deal soon.
Even if they don't agree to a deal with Kershaw, it is still likely he signs a deal before seeing the inside of an arbitration hearing. The Dodgers' last arbitration case was in 2007, when relief pitcher Joe Beimel asked for $1.25 million and the Dodgers countered with a salary of $912,500. The Dodgers won that case, with the help of current team director of baseball contracts Alex Tamin, who at the time worked for the law firm of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell.
The Dodgers now have $78.975 million committed to 16 players for 2012, with another $22.2 million (roughly) in dead money.